LAMEK, LAMEKES, LAMETH. Lamech was Cain's descendant. He had two wives, Ada and Sella. Ada's sons were Jabel, the ancestor of shepherds, and Jubal, the inventor of music. Sella's son was Tubalcain, the maker of brass and iron (Genesis 4:16-24).
Alys of Bath says that Lamek was a bigamist, WBP 52-54. Lameth was the first to love two women, SqT 549-551. Medieval exegetes called Lamech a bigamist: Peter Comestor, Historia scholastica, Liber Genesis (PL 198: 1078-1079), and Peter Riga, Aurora 485-526. The Man in Black says that he is not as skilled in making songs as Lamek's son, Tubal, BD 1160-1163. Tubal is a scribal variant for Jubal in manuscripts of the Vulgate and appears in Isidore, Etymologiae III.16, and in some manuscripts of Peter Riga's Aurora, which Chaucer names as his source, BD 1169. Lamek is false in love, the first man to love two women, and that is bigamy, Anel 148-154. He was the first to live in a tent, Anel 154. There is some confusion here with Jabel, the founder of those who live in tents, Genesis 4: 20. Chaucer's source may have been Trevet's Les Cronicles, fol. 3r: Cist Jubal le fitz lamec contreva primes tentes, "This Jubal, son of Lamech, contrived the first tents." [Peter1 Riga: Tubal]
All the forms appear medially, Lamek, SqT 550; Lameth, WBP 54; Anel 150; Lamekes, the ME genitive case, BD 1162.